The Student Government Association discussed the many complaints they have been receiving about parking on campus at it’s meeting last night. Brent Callais, SGA president, brought the attention to the senators that barricades have been placed in the parking lot between Madewood and Audubon by the Baptist Collegiate Ministry.

“For the past two days there has been a huge bottleneck, a lot of complaints we got, so this morning I met with Dr. Dial, Mike Davis, who is in charge of facilities planning, Grady Morris, the department of safety and two other University officials in the parking lot,” Callais said.

The university has built two cement bridges for cars to pass, as well as a six foot section for students to walk as a sidewalk.

“What is happening is cars are coming from both directions and they are playing this sort of game of chicken, and it is causing a huge back up.

“What maintenance is going to do this weekend (we all came to a compromise), is break the cement part in the middle so it is going to be a 20-foot bridge, and it is going to allow two-way traffic cars to come from both ways. It will be a little bridge that allows two cars to pass instead of one,” Callais said.

He also said that hopefully, this will allow for some alleviation to the parking problems, although discussion about the barricades is still in the works.

“As of now, the barricades are going to stay up. We are going to study it for the next couple of weeks, and hopefully we will come to a mutual understanding and agreement about what to do with the barricades,” Callais said.

Alcee Maxwell, director of student rights and grievances, also commented on the parking complaints that he had received.

“I received 18 complaints about the parking lot next to the BCM,” he said.

“The little cement barricades that we said they are going to remove, will be removed this weekend. When we return from Labor Day, it’s all going to be taken care of,” Callais said.

Dr. Eugene Dial, vice president for Student Affairs, also commented on the parking problems.

“If you park by the nursing building, or behind the stadium and walk to any place on campus, you are looking at a five to seven minute walk at the most.

“I have students parking by my house on Cherokee, two and a half blocks away, who are walking further than if they parked at the stadium,” Dial said.

Morris, chief of University Police also commented on his concern for students’ safety.

“I think we owe it to the student population to let them know that they can park on campus, and the University Police will do everything in their power to help,” he said.

The SGA, besides alleviating parking problems, motioned to accept two new senators, Melissa Trosclair, English major from Thibodaux, and Larry White government major from Zachary.